Clamping mechanism.



-w. T. SEARS; CLAMPING MECHANISM. APPLICATION HLED SEPT. 4. 19141 Patented June. 6, 1916.

!IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlll WILLABDT. SEAR-S, OE'PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T N nes-sem ar d; POND COMPANY, OF-JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION or anew messy.

CLAMPING MECHANISM.

nature the same may isiadapted to. hold 1,185,840. Specification of Letters Tatent. Application filed September 4, 1914. Serial No. sealer.

. i To 0 72 may concern:

-.vn that I, -WILLARI') T. Smns, a oi n or the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clamping Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to clamping mechanism.

The invention covered herein is of the same general type as thatset forth in my contemporaneously pending application Serial No. 860,183 filed September 1, 1914 ,and possesses all the advantages of the organi zation set forth in said application, but the ends are attained by different mechanism. In the drawings accompanyingand'formment of the invention, which to enable those skilled in the art to practise the same will be set forth fully in the following description. I do not restrict myself, however, to this disclosure;'Imay depart therefrom in several respects-within the scope of the invention defined by the claims following said description.

Referringto said drawings: Figure 1 is afront elevation of the lower portion of a radial drill equipped with clamping mechanism involving my invention, and, F'ig.'2 is a horizontal section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Like characters refer to like parts in both views. I

As in the application alluded to,"the clamping mechanism constituting the subject matter of the present case can be employed with advantage in various connections. In the drawings I have shown the base or bed 2 and the column 3 of a radialdrill such, for instance, as shown in Letters Patent No. 1,089,442 granted to ine March 10. 1914. This column or upright 3 extends into and is supported for rotary-adjustment, by the base or-bed 2. \Vhen the clamping mechanism is used'in conjunction withsuch a machine, the clamping device of Whatever I ratenteaaaae s, rare;

the column in a rot'atively adjusted position.

A clamping device such as meets my conditions 1s a ring such as that denoted in. a

general way by r, located within the hollow base or bed 2,split or divided and surround-v ing the column. lVhen the ring 4, usually but. not necessarily made resilient, is set it gripsthe column, suitable means hereinafter described being provided to thus cause the constriction of the ring. On releasing said ring it expands or unsets to free the column. ,I do not restrict myself to the setting of the ring by the operating mechanism i hereinafter described, because said operat ing mechanism can be otherwise utilized; as willbe inferred, nor it essential as pi-ace tically intimated that the clamping device consist of a resilient ring; ,as a matter of. fact it need not be of-annular form.

As shown the ring 4 is furnished at its ends with lugs or ears 5 and 6 which project'ihrough a slot 7 in the front of the base or bed 2. The two ears' have registering perforations to receive the bolt or equivalent connecting member 8 provided at one end with a suitable abutment such as the nut 5) which acts in thc present case against the outer surface of the lug These lugs 5,

and (3 are-caused to approach each other as.

will hereinafter appear, and when this action occurs the ring 4 will be drawn into clamping relation with the column 3 to held the latter in a rotatively adjusted position. ()n outward movement of the ears relatively or otherwise the ring 4 Will be unset. The end of the belt or rod 8 opposite that provided with the abutment or nut 9 is straddled by the companion parallel members of a cam 10 pivoted to said bolt by the pin 1101- otherwise, the active surface of the cam being adapted to operate against the lug 6 and said cam being located at the lower end of. the arm 12'.

sent a rocker.

Said arm'and the camlG pre pr'acticallytheir maximum-extent and the" cam 10 being in its inoperative position.

i By swinging the arm 12 to the left in F -quent setting of the ring 4:

Y tion the unsetting of the ring will be caused.

This is one way of operating a clamping device and by operating I mean either setting or unsett'ing, the arm 12 and cam 10 usually made rigid with each other, for instance by being made in one piece presenting a suitable clamping device operating member. is actuated in one direction by a suitable electrically operated device as a solenoid. \Vhen the solenoid or equivalent is energized to shift the arm 12 and cam 10 it at the same time renders effective means which nnparts a return movement to said arm 12. The solenoid 13 presents a suit able means for imparting an advancing movement to the ring operating member its core 14 being connected by linkage means as 15 with the upper end of the arm 12. Back of the core 141 have shown the coiled spring 16 inclose d in part by the solenoid and by the cap 17 connected therewith. The solenoid 13 is included in the circuit 18 having the controlling switch or push button 19. h

As already noted tj' pa e are in their primary positions in both views, the solenoid 13 at this time being deenergized'. On

' the closing of the circuit 18 by the operation of the switch 19, said solenoid attracts or draws inits core 14, thus through the link:

' age means'lfi swinging over the arm 12 to function. It is not effect through the means already described the setting of the clamping device orring 3. On the movement of the core into the solenoid, said core acting against the spring, compresses the latter so that on. reaction of the spring when the solenoid is deenergized and provided also the core 14- be released, said spring can return the solenoid core 14 to'its primary or normal position and thereby through. the described means or otherwise to cause unsetting of the clamping device of whatever type it may be. The core of the solenoid or some other shiftable part of an equivalent member therefore when it effects one action at-the same time renders effective another instrumentality' such as a spring for performing a 14 or equivalent movable member render effective a spring, because might. be utilized therefor. The solenoid core or similar element therefore shifts the .arm 12 or performs a similar function and at the same time renders effective means which mparts 'a reversev movement to' said This operating member in turn set forth,

"in broad sense.

essential that the core analogous means 1,1s5,sao

arm, and I prefer to prevent temporarily operative movement of this reversing or returning means of whatever nature the same may be. In the organization shown this efi ect is accomplished by a latch which holds the core 14 shifted and therefore the spring 16 under compression, and a latch as 20 meets the desired conditions. This latch 20 is the core of the solenoid 21 and is backed up by the spring 22 inclosed by the solenoid 21 and the cap 23 connected therewith. The solenoid 21 is in a circuit of its own such as 24 controlled by the switch or push button 25. The operative or active end of the latch-core 20 is beveled to cooperate with the teeth 26 on the core 14, the spring 22 holding the active end of the latch 20 at all times against the toothed portion 26 of the core 14. As the core 14 is drawn into the solenoid 13 on the energization of the latter in the manner already the beveled end. of the latch-core 20 rides idly along the beveled surfaces of the teeth 26, but when the core 14 is fully in the solenoid13 the latch-core 20 by enits original position by the power of the compressed spring 16 to effect in the manner described, the unsetting of the clamp ing device 4.

When I speak ofa clamping device 1 do not use the designation in a restricted but It is evident that it is not essential that this clamping device should grip an object whether it be a column.

or not, the elemental consideration being that the clamping device when in operative relation should check or makehard the movement of a movable part, the clamping device therefore being in the nature of a checking or movement-retarding element.

"What I claim is:

1. The combination of a base, a column extending into and rotatively supported by the base, a divided clamping member surrounding the column, in the base and provided at its ends with'lugs, the base having a slot through which the lugs extend, a bolt extending freely through the lugs and. pro vided with anabutment to engage the-outer side of one lug, a cam carried by the bolt to engage the outer side of the other lag, and

electrically operated means for causing the cam to constrict the clamping member.

2. The combinatlon of a base, co n. retativeiy supported by said It ing member supported by the base for enthe teeth of the first solenoid when the latgaging the column, a solenoid, an operatter is attracted. 1O ing member for the clamping member op- In testimony whereof I aflix my signature eratively connected with the core of the in presence of two witnesses.

solenoid, said core having rack teeth, :1 WILLARD T. SEARS. spring compressible by the core when atv"itnesses:

treated by the solenoid, and a second sole- 1)A\'1D T. NnviN,

noid, the Core of which is adapted to engage FRANK L. llnmaxus. 

